Ryan’s biggest reward is making a difference to horses in desperate need at Bransby Horses

Ryan Rouse

Published:14:28Tuesday 19 July 2016

Bransby Horses has been a registered charity for nearly 50 years and Ryan Rouse has been working there for the last seven years.

And for just over a year he has worked as the Head of External Welfare.

He said: “I was surprised how much the charity still had to offer in the way of education and support and how much the team had planned to support equines in need.

“I felt that with the training I had been fortunate to receive and the level of support the charity had from external sources, I was able to fulfil the needs of the role.”

Ryan describes his role as diverse and on a daily basis he can face many challenges.

He said: “The biggest challenge is working within the law at all times.

“It can be so frustrating watching horses living in less than ideal conditions and being able to do very little about it.

“One of the biggest rewards is making a difference to those in desperate need.”

Ryan hasn’t always worked in the equine industry, but has always been involved with horses.

He said: “Since starting with the charity, I’ve worked in a number of different roles, including on our quarantine yard supporting the rescue cases.

“I then moved to the External Welfare Team and worked as a field officer, assessing welfare concerns raised by Bransby Horses supporters.

“The rehoming scheme that the charity has operated for many years had never been utilised to its full potential.

“In the time that I have managed the team, we have increased the number of horses in homes from 150 to more than 300 and have met some of the kindest people who are offering to foster during this time.

“It is so important for us to place horses in foster homes so that we have space and time to facilitate more rescues.

“My ambitions vary from promoting the work the charity manages nationally to going abroad and supporting areas that do not have the laws and guidance we have in this country.”

The equine welfare charity, has taken in a significant amount of equines over recent months.

At their Lincolnshire Centre they are now caring for 400 horses, donkeys and mules; the highest ever number in the charity’s 48 year history.

With a second site in Herefordshire, the charity cares for a total of 479 equines and has a further 354 out in foster homes.

In 2013, thanks to public donations and legacies, a specialist quarantine unit, the Animal Reception Centre, was opened to improve biosecurity and to enable the charity to better cope with the influx of equines in desperate need of help.

Ryan said: “We operate nationwide, often alongside other organisations, to rescue equines and bring them in to charity care.